With iOS 17.1 released to the public, iPhone users in the UK can now view the account balance of their bank cards and credit cards right within Apple's Wallet app. Keep reading to learn how it works.
Apple's Wallet app on iPhone has been able to display Apple Pay transactions made using your bank and credit cards for a while now, but if you are a Wallet app user in the United Kingdom, a new integration in iOS 17.1 means you can view your current account balance from your bank, along with a history of your deposits and payments. If you have a credit card, you can also view your remaining credit.
To get the additional account information, your bank needs to support the Open Banking API that Apple has implemented. Supporting banks currently include Barclays, Monzo, Starling, HSBC, Lloyds, and RBS, with more banks likely to come on board now that iOS 17.1 is released to the public.
The following steps show you how integration is securely authorized through the Wallet app. It's a simple enough process, and Apple will automatically redirect you to your bank app to authenticate the connection.
- Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.
- Tap a card from a supporting bank.
- Tap Get Started under "See Balances and Full Transaction History for This Account."
- Tap Continue to connect your account to Wallet.
- Check the account details that you are about to give Wallet permission to access, then tap Continue.
- In your bank app, enter your iPhone's passcode or use Face ID to grant Wallet permission to access the specified account details.
After following these steps, you'll be directed back to the Wallet app, where you will now see the available balance of your account underneath the bank card, along with your transaction history. If it's a credit card, you'll also see the remaining balance available, while a tap on the balance will also reveal your credit limit.
Apple Wallet also keeps annual transaction histories for linked accounts. You can access them for each account in Settings -> Wallet & Apple Pay: Tap the connected account under "Connections," tap the card under "Accounts," then tap Account Activity, where you can view transactions by year.
Top Rated Comments
This is a good improvement.
Not sure, right now, whether it will be any more use than my bank's own app. But might just be more convenient.
What I'd actually like is an open receipt mechanism. Shops often offer a paper receipt, a receipt on their app on your phone, or require an email address.
A mechanism whereby you can accept a detailed receipt from the shop's till, without installing a shop-specific app, maybe offer a hidden email for them to use if they need to contact you (e.g. a recall), and me to be able to use it as proof of purchase, is very much wanted.
E.g. last year I bought confectionery bar from a supermarket but had to return as I didn't like it. But the process was crazily complex - because I wasn't using the supermarket's own app.
The UK banking sector is very different - consumer banking anyway - and so features like this are available relatively quickly. Apple Pay support is another one where it's now rare to find a bank that doesn't support it.